Just Russia lawmakers to be denied right to speak for one month

The move is to be a punishment for the lawmaker who used his favourite set phrase “crooks and thieves” against the United Russia Party at one of Duma meetings last summer

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MOSCOW, September 27 (Itar-Tass) —— Ilya Ponomaryov, a lawmaker with the A Just Russia party, may be denied the right to speak at plenary meetings of the State Duma lower parliament house for the term of one month, from October 16 to November 16.

The move is to be a punishment for the lawmaker who used his favourite set phrase “crooks and thieves” against the United Russia Party at one of Duma meetings last summer. The lawmaker made a scandalous statement on July 13, when the lower house voted on the law on libel. Ponomaryov voiced criticism of new amendments to the law and said urged “crooks and thieves” not to vote for it.

The Council of the Russian State Duma lower parliament house on Thursday decided to put the issue on the agenda of its plenary session on Friday, September 28.

A draft resolution strips Pominaryov of the right to take the floor at plenary meeting of the State Duma for the use of “coarse and insulting words hurting honor and dignity of other State Duma lawmakers and other persons, which is inadmissible from the point of view of ethics.”

Earlier this week, the Duma ethics commission recommended lawmakers to strip Ponomaryov of the right to speak at plenary meetings. The decision was supported by nine members of the commission from the United Russia and Liberal Democratic Party factions. The commission thus satisfied a motion of 40 lawmakers from those factions who demanded to bring Ponomaryov to disciplinary responsibility.